Material flow analysis (MFA) characterizes and quantifies flows of materials into, out of, and through a socio-economic system of interest, balancing all flows by stocks. Stocks are the amount of concerned manufactured products and materials in active use. Flows refer to the inflow (demand) and outflow (scrap) of products or materials between different processes. Stocks are the driving force for the flows and circulation of substances in the socio-economic system. In this paper, we analyzed steel stocks and flows in automobiles, vessels, and household appliances in the past (1949-2018) and future (2019-2050) by using the dynamic stock-driven model. The results showed that: (1) Steel demand in three industries will be saturated or decreased after reaching its peak; (2) Steel scrap of the three industries will exceed demand after 2040, (3) There will be a large amount of steel scrap produced in automobiles (83 million tons/year), vessels (27 million tons/year), and household appliances (4 million tons/year) by 2050. The results of this paper are intended to provide policy implications for sustainable production and utilization of steel.
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